Summer at the City

City of Refuge,  August 2012

Hot Town Summer at the City,
Lot of little fish lookin' flashy and pretty.
Boats with Geeks, isn't it a pity.
Floatin'  on noodles gonna fill up the City
All around, tourists lookin' half dead.
Walkin' on the lava, hotter than a match head.

Number 4 Plunges in at Two Step.

   






 So.  Guess where we went yesterday!  City of Refuge was actually beautiful.  Four boats arrived early, discharging the rubber nosed geeks and their requisite noodles around nine, while Schmoopie and I were sitting on our bench reading books, eating banana bread and waiting for the dolphins.  Plenty of tourists were going in off the Two Step entry at that time as well.  Sandra got this shot of good ol' number four plunging in about 9:15.


   

Black Tail Snapper on the run.

By quarter to ten, when we decided the fish might be awake, things had cleared out. The tide was high and the top step was awash, making entry a snap.  Once in, we turned left and soon were cheek to gill with this black tail snapper.  Actually, he was fairly evasive, but we got a good, quick look.  This fish and his bluestripe cousin were introduced to Hawaii from French Polynesia in the mid 1950s.  The idea was that people would eat them, but they didn't gain favor at the market.  Twenty years ago, they were quite common.  Now every sighting is worth a note.  I think both fish are quite beautiful.   

Bluefin Trevally, still a little dark

     We swam north along the wall under the house with the flag pole and made the turn seaward.  There was nothing special in the shallows, but when we approached the edge we saw Thompson's Butterfly and Three Spot Chromis in the same spot near the turn, where we see them routinely.  Its hard to use the word routine to describe Thompson's Butterfly, a fish so subltle that I failed to see it for the first fifteen years I watched fish in Hawaii.  Never the less, it is routine in this location, where it is sometimes joined by the beautiful Pyramid.
     Around the next corner, we spotted a very dark ulua, the Bluefin Trevally...virtually black...holding position near the reef.  As we approached , he started to swim and over the next thirty seconds lightened dramatically.  I didn't get a shot of the black phase, he was too far away and I was fumbling with the camera.  But I did get three shots as he lightened. 

Bluefin Trevally, seconds later in a lighter cloak.

    While we watched this transition, I recalled reading about black jacks in John Hoover's Ultimate Guide to Hawaiian Reef Fishes.  On page 179 he relates the experience of a researcher who witnessed a similar black individual.  This fellow concluded that the black phase indicated dominance of hunting location.  I say, "Maybe."  Its easy to take an anecdotal experience and read too much into it.  We didn't get very close to this  black fish.  He saw us and made a liesurely departure, resuming normal coloration as he swam away from the inlet.  Fish change color all the time, dude.

Achilles Tang, City of Refuge, August 2012

   At this point in our excursion, I had a moment of profound disappointment.  I looked at the camera and saw that I had changed the mode from fish to beach when I took that nice picture you see at the top of the blog.  And I never changed it back.  How exactly does the Canon D10 filter (using its tiny computer) to allow more red for underwater pictures?  And how does it know to allow more red for deeper pictures?  Back at the ranch, we added 64 units of red using the balance mode on our Ulead Photo Explorer.  Same amount to both pictures.  It seems like the images are pretty well recovered.  You science critics now have complete disclosure.  I really like second picture.  The ulua swam close and the water was clear.  A heck of an opportunity. Too bad about the red.  It'll be our dirty little secret.

Epaulette Soldierfish

   We got it switched back and photographed this pair of Achilles Tang, a few of the legion of soldierfish that were out and about and a lovely pair of Ornate Butterflies.  All swimming in the crystal clear water.  Finally, after Sandra headed for the hard, I found the Blacktail Snapper and chased him around for a bit.  The photo you saw above was my best picture.  I got closer, but achieved only multiple shots of the south end of a north bound snapper.

    As I was heading in, I saw a dad snorkeling with his two boys, enjoying the warm clear water and the fishes.  Back on the beach, I found the dad and told him how nice it was to watch them, how it reminded me of snorkeling with my own boys, how those were among my very best of memories.  I hope you have lots of great memories, as well.

Ornate Butterflyfish, City of Refuge, August 2012

jeff

In the sea, its a different world,
Swim hand in hand with your favorite girl.
Come on, come on, we can swim all night.
The fish are there, it'll be all right.
In the summer at the City.
In the summer at the City.

With apologies to the Lovin' Spoonful.

The Palani and His Friends

Palani, Acanthurus dussumieri, Kailua Pier 2012

   A couple days ago we went swimming at the pier.  It was blazing hot, so it felt good to get in the cool water.  It was a relief to get out of the heat.  Initially the water was cloudy, but as we swam out, it cleared and I found myself in the company of a cooperative Palani.  This larger surgeonfish (for whom one of our chief thoroughfares is named) is far from unusual.  I'm not sure if the palani is tasty, but as a species this fish is wary of swimmers, especially if one dives with a camera.  As a consequence, I have not taken a really good picture of the Palini.  Thanks to his stalwart individual, we now have a picture suitable for an album.

Saddleback Butterfly Looking

     The day before we nabbed the Palani, I swam at Kahaluu.  Sandra stayed on the beach with her novel, having just completed water aerobics, so I was exploring solo.  On that outing I saw the first Saddleback Butterflyfish of this iteration.  SBB61.2!   It was a nice pair that swam through a patch of clear water, enabling me to catch this nice photograph.  What do you suppose that this fellow is searching for?  I've always thought that the Saddleback Butterfly might be Hawaii's prettiest fish.  This guy is certainly a peach.  And curious.

Undulating Undulated  (Moray

And a day before that I went swimming on the Paul Allen side of the pier.  Going out was the usual suspects, but I was trying hard for something special to compete with Sandra's Snake Eel.  What I came up with was this picture of an Undulated Moray eponymously  undulating.

Psyche Rocks

Do we have space for one more picture?  I've been experimenting with taking pictures of the bottom and then maxing out the saturation.  I figure if I get good enough at this I can put together a show for the MOMA in San Francisco.  So what do think?  Does Jackson Pollock eat is heart out?  Is Peggy Guggenheim on the phone?  Stay tuned.

Well.  Thanks for putting up with this potpourri of underwater art.  Stay cool on these hot summer days and see a fish for me.

jeff

Kona Makai on Dwellable

The Kailua Surfer Girl! And Look What Sandra Found!!

A Proud Papa with his Surfer Girl !

    I really like going to the pier.  You meet lots of nice, normal people there.  There's a charming mix of swimmers, from competitive athletes to friendly fish watchers.  And on the beach and in the shallows there are frequently families at play.  Two days ago we took a dip and as I was putting on my fins a cute little girl on a boogie board paddled into me, said excuse me (what a nice little girl) and I propelled her towards her mother.  After I got set, I turned and asked mom if I could take a picture of her daughter.  Mom said yes and dad said take a picture of this.  He balanced the board and she stood up like a junior wave rider.  The lens was wet so the photo lacks quality, but isn't it a charming image?

Milletseed Butterflyfish, Kailua Pier, August 2012

     After we snapped the girl, we went in search of  the fishes.  On the way out the water was a little cloudy and it was pretty much the usual suspects.  Sandra suggested that we swim near the break water on the way in.   I stalled, trying to get a picture of blue goatfish; although they are rather common, they are fast moving and I don't have many good pictures of that species.  As I was attempting the goatfish, I spotted this Milletseed Butterfly immature.  Its sad to say, but I feel like I have to regard this baby Milletseed as a waif....an egg that has drifted from somewhere else and matured in a spot that the fish can live.  Milletseeds used to be the most common butterfly at Kahalu'u, but they are essentially gone as a breeding population from the Kona Coast. C'est dommage!  Anyway, with luck this little guy will live in Kailua Bay for a while.

Magnificent Snake Eel, image by Sea life

    But now for the big news.  As I stalled, Sandra continued to swim towards the pier.  About twenty yards ahead of me, she saw a large hook embedded in the coral.  Just as she was diving down for it, she saw an eel moving through the fenestration's of the coral.  And not just any eel.  White with regular black spots, it was a magnificent snake eel!   How cool is that?  About two years ago I got a poor picture of the Tiger Snake Moray on the Paul Allen side of the pier, but I have never seen this animal (the MSE)  in Kona.  Hence, we are including someone else's image.  Look at the regular black spots against the white body.

Tiger Snake Moray, Paul Allen's Reef, January 2011

    Here is my picture of the Tiger Snake Moray from January 2011.  Its not a good picture, the day was dark, it was deep and the eel was moving fast and I've got a million more excuses.  Anyway, the picture was good enough for John Hoover to make a confident identification.  Note the taupe body and the irregular spots  This guy is one of our best finds in Hawaii.
    So kudos to Sandra and lets keep our peepers peeled as we peruse the shallows in Kailua Harbor!

jeff

A Cat Nap on the Pier, Kailua Kona  January 2011

PS  Just so you know I'm still a softy, here is a picture we took by the cubby just after seeing the Tiger Moray.  The Kailua Pier really can be a wonderful place full of the spirit of ohana.

jeff
 

49 Black Sand Windstorm

The Wind Blows the Palms at 49 Black Sand Beach

 This morning Sandra and I went to the local civic center to pay our property tax.   The ladies who work in tax offices here in Hawaii are extraordinarily pleasant, but the likelihood of putting a payment in the mail and it being recorded in a timely fashion is unacceptably low.  So like Mary and Joseph going to Nazareth, we repaired to the Kealakehe Civic Center, with our bill and a check.  
     As we were already on the north edge of town , we decided to drive up to Puako and go swimming at Beach 69.  It was at this sandy county park that we saw the Shortnose Wrasse and Yellowstripe Coris last year. It was at this beach a month or so later when the Waika-blowah winds, which are funneled between Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa, almost drove us out to sea.  Sandra had asked me if we should be concerned about the wind and I said, “No.  that’s a winter condition.”

Protective Pinnacles and Beach Erosion

    Of course, about the time we got to Waikaloa there was substantial wind and when we made the turn at Puako the sea was a quilt of whitecaps.  So, like Napoleon, we turned the army around and found somewhere else to wage battle.  In this case 49 Black Sand Beach at the Mauna Lani. 
   We have spoken previously of this beach in the blog.  On the grounds of the resort, it requires a beach pass, but we have never been turned away.  The beach is the south shore of a collapsed cinder cone, quite picturesque.  We had been encouraged to try the beach by a friendly real estate agent and dive master, who said it was accessible in the most difficult of conditions.   We have never failed to get in here, but we have also never found the water very clear. 
    As we made our way from the car to the beach, we encountered a firm north wind of 10 to 15 knots.   The palms were waving in the wind and I was surprised to note substantial erosion at the shoreline.  Could this be the result of the torrential rains we have been experiencing or persistent north winds blowing waves onto  this shore?

White Saddle Goatfish, 49 Black Sand Beach, August 2012

     At the outer edge of the beach, there are a cluster of protective lava pinnacles.  The beach behind them seemed less eroded so we used that area for an entrance.  The water was actually pretty clear.  And straight down was a salt and pepper flounder, just like the one presented in our last blog.  I like flounders…I hope they aren’t getting so numerous that they lose their appeal.
     We swam out among the coral behind the crags seeing a nice variety of the usual suspects.   We got acceptable pictures of Teardrop and Pebbled Butterfly and Cleaner Wrasse.  The best fish had to be the White Saddle Goatfish.  I got two good pictures of this unusual fellow (he has the dubious honor of being the best tasting goatfish, which I believe accounts for his relative rarity).  A bit later we spotted a really big White Saddle somewhat deeper.  Its reassuring to see large fish that are more likely to breed. 

White Saddle Goatfish, Parupeneus porphyreus

       We saw no Achilles Tangs, one of my favorite fish that has become a highly sought after food fish.  I’ve only seen two babies in two weeks since we arrived.  Bummer.  Achilles Tang is found elsewhere in the Pacific.  God wiling, there are pockets where it is not deemed to be a desirable food fish.
     Up on the bluff above the beach, while we made good us of the single shower head beneath the swaying palms, we made friends with Chivy.  Chivy is a pleasant young man, nattily clad, whose family was down swimming on the beach.  His son is apparently interested in fish identification, but on this day, at least, Chivy preferred to stay on the dry.  Better to keep the crease in the Dockers.  He had a bit of an accent, so I asked where he was from, hoping for Cannes.  As it turns out, familia Chivy hails from Santa Cruz, Ca. 

Pebbled Butterfly  49 Black Sand Beach August 2012

     We talked a bit about snorkeling spots and he related that the previous morning his brood had gone to the Mauna Kea.  They went early, hitting the water at about 8:30, and saw nothing!  They swam the south cusp, which if you are a good reader you know is the wrong end of the beach for fish watching (and also possesses strong currents.)  But nothing?  Pay attention, now.  The fish have to sleep, too and expecting to find them on parade before 9:30 is just silly.   The Redoubtable SKG
 and I hit the water at 10:00.  In defense of Chivy, they had been experiencing strong winds every day while staying at the Mauna Lani; they were told that if they went early they might avoid the strong winds.  The wind was already a gale by 9!
    There were more hou’li families at 49 Black Sand Beach today than ever before.  But they were arriving and leaving with regularity due to the strong wind.  Based on today’s experience  I’d work the western edge and hope for clear water behind the pinnacles.  And I'd check the weather report regarding wind conditions before heading north of Waikoloa.  Apparently these strong winds are not just a winter condition.

jeff

      
   

Crabs and Mangoes Don't Mix

Where are we going?  And why am I in this Hand Basket?

Bad  Mango !

   Although I promised the Great Oz , aka John Hoover,  upon whose web site this blog is carried,  that I would restrict my remarks to things marine biological in nature, sometimes shit happens  (if I may quote that greatest of Americans, Forrest Gump) that require reporting.    In this instance, I have a pressing need to convey my experience with mango allergy.
   Mango trees and their incredibly delicious fruit are known to have the same allergen, urushiol, as poison oak, ivy and sumac.  Additionally, the shell of the cashew and a variety of other obscure tropical plants harbor urushiol.   I knew all this, and I am extremely sensitive to poison oak, the national flower of Salem, Oregon where I previously  attempted to farm viniferous grape and Christmas trees amidst thriving stands of  Toxicodendron diversilobum. 

Reef Lizardfish imm.  Kahaluu  August 2012

   Sadly,  I am incredibly fond of the mango fruit that grows almost wild here on the Big Island.  Also, it would seem that I am both impulsive and a slow learner.
    And so,  last Wednesday, having nothing better to do on a cloudy afternoon, I took a walk up the hill to the  vacant lot where grow a variety of fruit trees planted by a previous home owner.  The house is gone, but a tasty variety of fruit trees remain.  This day there were no papayas, but I harvested three lovely lemons.  As I was leaving I noticed a mango in the early stages of ripening hanging about seven feet in the air.  In reaching up to grab the mango, some of the  sap got on my hands and a bit splashed on my face.  Despite washing, I ended up with a painful rash covering most of my face.  By the second morning my eyes were almost swollen shut. 

Calcinus elegans the Hidden Hermit Crab  August 2012

    Suffice it to say, vis a vis snorkeling, I was hors de combat.   A combination of antihistamines and steroid creams rendered me sufficiently recovered that I was able to resume my duties as your correspondent of the deep at Kahaluu yesterday.   The sky was a perfect blue, the water warm and fairly clear.  And it was a very high tide, making entry a breeze and enabling me to swim over all the coral.  If you’ve been to K Bay you know that a great deal of the remaining coral rises almost to the surface on most days.  
   Shortly after entry, I had the opportunity to photograph a small Reef Lizardfish.  This babe held still while I stuck the Canon D10 in his face to capture the accompanying image. 

The Mikado Advancing!

   Further out, Surfer’s Rock was completely submerged.  From a cavity in the coral  I retrieved  a large, well worn drupe encrusted with coraline algae.  Gotta be a hermit.  And, indeed, it was a medium sized Elegant Hermit Crab.  Shy at first, he eventually climbed out, righted himself and posed for a few snap shots.  Good crab. 

Flowery Flounder at rest on the dark sand.

    About five years ago I kept a similar Ca. elegans as a pet in the aquarium.  He lived with us for at least three months and it was a bitter sweet day when we returned him to the fish pond in front of Kona Makai.  That good friend was named The Mikado  He was a delightful pet and served that season as the mascot for the Quetzales,  my long suffering fantasy baseball team.  I’m afraid the baseball  team  was fairly mediocre, but they had an excellent mascot.   Those were the days before we had a good underwater camera;  the only pictures of the Mikado were taken in the aquarium.  So these pictures are in your honor, old chum.  This fine fellow was returned immediately to his depression in the coral.
   On the way in, I spotted a Flowery Flounder, in the salt and pepper shallows near the entrance.  He was cryptically colored.  In the process of getting photographed, he got spooked and we followed him around a short circuit, watching him change color instantly depending on the hue of the bottom beneath him.  A veritable magic carpet ride as he fluttered over the light algae cover of the pahoehoe.

Still life with Lilikoi, lemon and cherry tomatoes. 

To celebrate our bumper crop of passion fruit which grows like a weed here in the heights above Kailua, I leave you with this bit of verse:

It was an itsy bitsy, teeney weeney yellow lilikoi martini, that she sipped for the first time that day.

Jeff

The flounder becomes instantly lighter as he swims over the algae covered rocks.

PS.  My brother wanted me to send him a photo of my inflamed visage, which I had no great urge to memorialize.  When I appraised James of this request, he said, “You know if you did that, Chuck would make you a birthday card featuring that picture.”   And he was right.  One can only imagine the accompanying greeting.  Happy Birthday, Mangoface! ?



     

We're Back!

Yellow Tail Coris with interesting transitional coloration

    Sandra and I have not quite completed our move, but we have definitely cut our home owning ties back on the mainland.  We are ensconced in our new home on the slopes of Hualalai, 700ft above kailua Kona.  A cooler climate than the beach and its only a ten minute drive down hill to our favorite snorkeling spots.    The first few days we did little other than clean, but we've now been snorkeling four days in a row, hitting both sides of the pier, Kahaluu and Ho'okena.

Transitional YTC with Red Labrid Wrasse, both Coris gaimard

     The most interesting finds were a couple days ago at Kahaluu.  We went in about 10 AM.  Just after entry, in fairly clear water, we saw three immatures of the Yellow Tail Coris.   Two were the typical Red Labrid variety of immature.  The third was an interesting transitional specimen.  Note that he has the spotted blue flank and yellow tail  and he has retained the dorsal white bars.  We hadn't noted this coloration before.  Usually by the time you have a yellow tail, the white bars are long gone.  It just goes to show that fish do not change color on a strict schedule.  With seagulls, as an example, there are many successive plumages as the bird matures.  Each is well defined and an expert can tell exactly how old a young gull is by noting these successive changes.  Lucky for us, we were able to get a picture of the unusual transitional individual with one of the typical Red Labrid Wrasses.

The Hidden Hermit Crab, Ca. latens, wearing an Oily Miter

   Shortly after our encounter with the maturing YTC, we encountered a very cooperative hermit crab browsing on a coral head.  He was quite brave when I shoved the camera in his face and captured this picture using available light.  Over the last year, I have been trying to take more pictures of the hermits in the wild, as opposed to capturing them and transporting them to the aquarium for a photo op.  I think this is going pretty well.
     So who is this brave little fellow?    The walking legs are grayish with a distinctive purple band above the tip.  That and his speckled blue eyes confirms that he is a Hidden Hermit Crab, Calcinus latens.  The Guam Hermit Crab, introduced to Hawaii in the 1960s also has the black blotch on the elbow of the claw with pretty white speckles that remind me of the Milky Way.  That crab has straw colored legs with out purple stripes and black eyes with lots of white speckles.

Ca latens, the Hidden Hermit Crab  August 2012 Kahaluu

     I'm very interested in the shell this individual is carrying around.  That's not coralline algae...it really is brick red.   After consulting our Hawaiian Sells book, I believe it is the shell of an Oily Miter.  This snail lives in the shallows, consistent with his presence at Kahaluu.  However, I've never seen one before.  It is usual to find all the members of a colony wearing the same shell.  In this case there was at least one more smaller individual deeper in the coral head with the same shell type.  It is a very unusual shell and supports the idea that colony members go to some length to chose the same shell.  Crabs don't really have brains, the way we think of them...more a series of larger ganglia.  So how does the group decide on this unusual shell and how are they able to select it?  Food for thought which you might ponder over a glass of chardonnay and some cracked Dungeness!

     I'm sending you this blog from the library here in Kailua, as ATT is exercising their power by making us wait 14 days to get our internet hooked up at home.  Despite the extra effort, its my honor to be your correspondent from the beach.

jeff